The A to Z guide on Legal Terminology:
Basic Legal Terminology (A):
- Accused: person who charged with committing crime.
- Administrative Law: rules and regulations framed by administration
- Affidavit: statement on oath for use as evidence in legal process
- Alibi: elsewhere a legal plea that the a person was not presented at the time and place of occurrence
- All Rights Reserved: intimation notifying that the owner is legally protected his rights against infringement.
- Amnesty: general pardon granted by a nation
- Anticipatory bail: bail granted by a court in advance even before to a person who apprehends that he might be arrested
- Arbitration: settlement of a dispute by someone chosen to hear both sides and come to a decision.
Related: mcqs on Indian Constitution
Common Legal Terms (B):
- Bail: something given as security effect the release of one arrested or imprisoned, on the understanding that he shall appear for trail at a fixed time and place
- Bonafide: in the good faith
Legal phrases (C):
- Certiorari: a writ to transfer a law suit from a lower court to a higher one
- Circumstantial evidence: evidence based on the circumstances of a case and sufficiently strong to establish the guilt
- Contempt of Court: disobedience of the judgement / orders of the court
- Convict: one who is founded guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court
- Code: classified laws and regulations
- Coup d’etat: sudden removal or change of Government by force
- Copyright: the exclusive right of the owner of a work on it
- Court martial: trial of defence force personal for the breach of military discipline rules / laws
- CPC: Civil Procedure Code
- Cr.PC: Criminal Procedure Code
- Curfew: order to people to stay indoors
Common Legal Words (D):
- Defendant: a person required to answer in a court
- Defamation: attack on reputation
- Dejure: lawful
- Detenue: person detailed by a state authority
- Double jeopardy: prosecuting a person more than once for the same offence
Related: Common Questions about Intellectual Property
Glossary of Legal Terms (E):
- Extradition: delivering a accused to another country for legal trial
- Ex.gratia: by way of grace
- Exhibit: presentation of legal document / facts
(F):
- Facsimile: exact copy of a document
- FIR: First Information Report of an offence / crime to law department
- Forgery: counterfeiting with intention of fraud
(G):
- Genocide: repressing / killing people of a particular community
(H):
- Habeas Corpus: a writ refers to the right of an arrested person to be produced before the court of law for trial
(I):
- Indemnity: security against any kind of damage / loss
- Inquest: judicial enquiry to find out how somebody died
- Indictment: document which have information about charges against a prisoner
Related: MCQ on Law of Contract
(L):
- Lease: a contact which defines / outlines terms of renting property by one party to another
- Legacy: something (mostly money or property) left to a person by will
- Life imprisonment: Long term imprisonment (duration can different in different country)
- Limited Company: a company where shareholders have limited responsibility to the extent of
their shares in it - Locus stand: right to interfere
(M):
- Malafide: with bad faith
- Modus operandi: mode of working
- Moratorium: order to postpone payment of dues without any imposition of punishment
Related: MCQ on Sale of Goods
(O):
- Ordinance: rule / order / law made by authorised body / government
Legal Terms (P):
- Patent: document that gives a person exclusive privilege of something
- Parole: release of prisoner before completion of sentence (mostly in condition of good behavior)
- Public Notary: a lawyer / appointed person to certify / attest documents
- Perjury: making false statement on oath
- Prima facie: at the first sight
- Penology: study of crimes punishments, prison and reformations of criminals
- Postmortam: medical examination of a dead body to find cause of death
- Power of Attorney: document authorising granter of the power in relation to matters specified in the documents
- Probono Publico: for the public good
- Prohibition: banning something / some activity
- Proxy: when a person acts for another person to perform some action
Related: Multiple Choice Test: Law Of Tort
Commonly Used Legal Terms (S):
- Sine die: without date, indefinitely
- Sub judice: under judicial consideration
- Sedition: use of speech / action to act against government
- Status quo ante: the previous position
- Summons: a writ of a court commanding the attendance of a witness at a specified time and place
(V):
- Vox populi: voice of the people
Law Student Glossary (W):
- Warrant: legal order issued by court / authorised person to permit a particular action which otherwise an illegal act
- Writ: written order by court to act in a particular way
